>>>>Funny you mention that....are you familiar with this book?
>>>>http://www.amazon.com/Ominous-Parallels-Brilliant-parallels-pre-Hitler/dp/0452011175/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244178281&sr=8-1
>>>>
>>>>(Written by Ayn Rand's legal heir)
>>>>
>>>>I haven't read it yet - thanks for the link. The fact that we are on the road to fascism has been pretty obvious to me for quite a while now.
>>>
>>>I would say you've just come out of the most fascist leaning administration your country has ever had.
>>>
>>>From the wiki entry
>>>
>>>Fascism comprises a radical and authoritarian nationalist political ideology[1][2][3][4] and a corporatist economic ideology.[5] Fascists advocate the creation of a single-party state.[6] Fascists believe that nations and/or races are in perpetual conflict whereby only the strong can survive by being healthy, vital, and by asserting themselves in combat against the weak.[7] Fascist governments forbid and suppress criticism and opposition to the government and the fascist movement.[8]
>>>
>>>sounds like the discredited republicansim of Bush/Cheney to me.
>>
>>What suppression of criticism and opposition was there? The opposite occurred the last few years.
>
>You cannot make full comparison.
>
>Circumstances are different 60+ years on. If Hitler & Goebells were to do it in year 2001, they wld perhaps
>encourage criticisam, especially bogus, cheap and factually untrue. They would pay people to play fools and criticise
>without merit and facts, so those who express genuine/valid criticisam would be easily neutralised by power of association.
>If you want to effectively 'silence' someone who 'talks' , all you need to do is - blast stereo!
>Meaning; create plentitude of tabloids, bogus TV media, prepaid intelectuals etc. Create massive pool of
>BS news, opinions, 'studies' etc, so noise ratio become so big, that everybody simply stop paying attention.
>
>Black shirt brigades, falanges, fascist youth movements all belong to 'stone ages'. Environment/circumstances changed,
>so did the tactics. It is called evolution.

That is a sophisticated analysis and I agree.

The observation has also been made that if fascism comes to America it will not be storm troopers in heavy boots kicking down the door - it will be a lawyer and a social worker smiling on the doorstep and saying "Hi, we're from the government and we're here to help." <s>